It’s supposed to be a romantic evening. You buy wine. You light a few candles. You even shave your legs. Unfortunately your husband/boyfriend/boytoy has other ideas. In between arugula and apple pie, he dumps you – flat on what you’re suddenly worrying is a distinctly oversized butt.

Enter Bittergirl: Getting Over Getting Dumped. A spinoff of a play by the same name, this self-help guide traces the journey from being just plain bitter to becoming a full-fledged “bittergirl.” No snivelling wreck pining for Mr. Right, bittergirls are attractive and assured. They can transform relationship tragedy into cocktail-party comedy. As the authors (who claim 57 breakups amongst them) put it, for the bittergirl “yesterday’s heartache is tomorrow’s one-liner.”

To get to that punch line, Bittergirl suggests examining exactly what you’re crying over. What kind of knight in shining armour gallops full-speed away from you? On close inspection many princes lose their charm. Full recovery also means taking a hard look in the mirror. Worse than the loser who’s dumped you may be the loser you become after the split.

To put introspection into action, then, there are “bitteractivities” at the end of each chapter. Make a contract with yourself to avoid drinking and dialling, for example, or listening to “your” song over and over. There are also lists of “movies to get your anger out” and games and drink recipes for bittergirl gatherings. (As for who would come over to throw darts at photos of your ex, aside from your mother, you’re on your own.)

On stage, Bittergirl offered catharsis through stories of those who have suffered love and survived. On the page, the authors have taken a more direct and literal approach to helping the lovelorn. At times this approach is less successful, the comedy more cloying. But Bittergirl does provide a more honest message than the typical relationship primer: the last laugh on your ex is not a new man on your arm, but the ability to laugh the old one off while sipping a very dry martini.